Despite strides by female entrepreneurs during the past two decades, women-owned businesses still face funding challenges, according to Biz2Credit, the leading online credit marketplace, which analyzed nearly 14,000 applications from all across the U.S. on its platform during the last six months of 2012.

Average Operating Expenses: Women-owned businesses tended to have average operating expenses that were 21% higher than male-owned companies

Average Credit Score: On an average, the credit scores for women-owned businesses were 40 points lower than for male-owned companies

Average Age of Business (in Months): 40 vs 41 (the age of businesses were roughly the same)

"Women tended to be more involved in retail operations, which generally have higher operating expenses and smaller margins. This may also account for their lower credit scores," said Rohit Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit, one of the nation's top small business finance experts, who oversaw the research. "Banks look at these figures and thus find women-owned businesses more risky to fund, which accounts for the lower loan approval rates for women."

About Biz2Credit

Founded in 2007, Biz2Credit is a leading credit marketplace connecting small- and medium-sized businesses with lenders, service providers, and complementary business tools. The company matches borrowers to financial institutions based on each business's unique profile -- completed in less than four minutes -- in a safe, efficient, price-transparent environment.

Biz2Credit's network consists of 1.6 million users, 1,100+ lenders, credit rating agencies such as D&B and Equifax, and small business service providers including CPAs and lawyers. Having arranged $800 million in funding throughout the U.S., Biz2Credit is widely recognized as a leading online credit resource for small business loans, lines of credit, equipment loans, working capital and other funding options.

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